Steel wool pads



June 21, 1966 G. MILLS 3,256,583

STEEL WOOL PADS Filed March 15, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNvENToR GEORGE. i hLLs ATTORNEY G. MILLS STEEL WOOL PADS June 21, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 \NVENTOR GEORGE MILLS Filed March 15, 1963 ATTORNEY G. MILLS STEEL WOOL PADS June 21, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 15, 1963 Md/Q 0 lNvENToR GEORGE NH LL$ ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,256,583 STEEL W001i. PADS George Mills, Davyhulme, England, assignor to Colgate- ]Palmolive Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 270,131 2 Claims. (Cl. 294.5)

This invention relates to a method of making steel wool pads which may be impregnated with a filler, for example soap or some other detergent, to steel wool pads made by the method and to apparatus suitable for making steel-wool pads in accordance with the method. The steel wool pads are useful, for example, for household pot scouring and general scouring purposes. The invention is particularly applicable to-making steel wool pads which are to be used only once and then thrown away in contrast with the pads commonly used at the present time which are intended to be used a number of times before disposal although the invention has application to the'making of the latter kind of pads.

According to one aspect of the present invention a method of making steel wool pads comprises feeding a substantially continuous strip or a number of superposed substantially continuous strips of steel wool between a pair of pressing rolls at least one of which has circumferentially spaced recesses in its surface to produce spaced compressed regions transversely across the length or lengths. The material passing through the rolls will in places herein be referred to as a band. This term will thus be used to cover a single strip of steel wool which may or may not be spirally wound and also composites of more than one strip of steel wool, with or without strips of other material.

By producing spaced compressed regions transversely across the band the steel wool may be divided into individual pads the ends of which are heavily compressed. The side edges may be closed by virtue of the form in which the band comes to the pressing rolls; for example, a band formed from a strip of steel wool which has been diagonally rolled on a rotating mandrel will have substantially closed side edges. Nevertheless, it is preferred, even for such a band with closed side edges as well as for those without such edges, for the edges to be compressedby rolling to produce, with the highly compressed transverse regions to thereby produce a locked spiral, uncompressed or lightly compressed area each wholly surrounded by a heavily compressed margin. By providing heavily compressed margins all round the uncompressed or lightly compressed central portions there is less tendency for the pads to disintegrate in use or for some of the filler to fall out than is the case with pads in which only part of the margin is heavily compressed. Circular pads with a heavily compressed circumferential margin have already been proposed but the method of the present invention provides a very satisfactory continuous method of producing pads which will usually be of the more convenient rectangular shape.

Preferably at least one of the rolls producing the transverse compressed regions has circumferentially spaced generally rectangular pockets in its periphery and thus both the transverse regions and the edges of the band are compressed. The edges of the band may be additionally compressed by rolls before reaching the rolls producing the transverse compressed regions.

The method may be used to produce pads in a continuous band rather than as individual pads and this facilitates further processing e.g. drying and automatic packaging. If desired, the individual pads can be severed as by shearing the band through the centre of each transverse compressed region before or during packaging. Thus the strip or strips of steel wool may pass through a pair of rolls at least one of which is provided with knives to at least partially sever the strip or strips through the transverse compressed regions, and preferably the production of the transverse compressed regions and the severing is carried out simultaneously by the same pair 0f rolls. 'The arrangement may be such that at least one of the knives produces partial severing and at least one of the knives produces complete severing. In this way the band will be divided up into separate ribbons each consisting of a number of individual pads which are partially severed from one another. Such ribbons may be used, for example, for dispensing packs wherein the withdrawal of onepartially severed pad draws the next pad into a readily accessible position, whereupon the first pad can be pulled away from the second one by tearing the unsevered connecting portion.

The production of a band of steel wool to be fed to the rollers by means of a rotating mandrel has already been referred to. In an alternative arrangement a number of strips of steel wool are fed in superposed relationship to the rolls and at least one of the strips of steel wool has substantially all its fibres coated with a water-soluble detergent material before being compressed with the other strip or strips. Any desired number of strips can be fed to the pressing rolls and one or more of the strips may be of a material other than steel wool. For instance, there may be three steel wool strips, the two outer ones being plain (unimpregnated) and the central one being already impregnated with filler. Another possibility is to use five steel wool strips employing a central impregnated strip and two plain strips on each side. A further possibility is to employ two or more impregnated strips. This is particularly useful in the case of pads which are to contain both soap and synthetic detergent. It is not easy to make a homogeneous n1ixture of soap and certain synthetic detergents in a form which could be used to impregnate a single strip uniformly. In such a case one strip could be impregnated with the soap and another strip with the synthetic detergent.

In addition to the steel wool strip, a strip or strips of other material could be introduced, for example a strip of fabric in order to impart greater strength to the resulting pads. Such other strips could be impregmated with a detergent and/or some other material such as a binder, of which sodium silicate is the most suitable.

According to another aspect of the invention apparatus for making steel wool pads comprises roll means adapted to compress the edges of a continuous strip of steel wool fed to the roll means and to produce the spaced compressed regions transversely across the strip. The roll means may include a pair of rolls at least one of which has circumferentially spaced pockets in its periphery, the preferred shape for the pockets being rectangular. In a preferred form of the apparatus the roll means include a second pair of rolls arranged to operate on the strip before it passes to the first pair and arranged to compress the edges of the strip.

One of the pair of rolls for producing transverse compressed regions may have knife-like axially extending projections on its periphery between pockets to produce at least partial severing of the strip in the transverse compressed regions. The projections may be provided by inserts in axially extending grooves in the respective roll and the other roll of the pair may have similar inserts adapted to co-operate with the knife edges.

The invention may be performed in various ways and two forms of apparatus for manufacturing impregnated steel wool pads and a number of examples of pad produced by the apparatus will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the first form of apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the pad-forming rolls of the apparatus of FIGURE 1 to a larger scale;

FIGURE 3 is a part elevation and part section of the rolls shown in FIGURE 2 taken on the line IIIIII in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view to a larger scale of one of the upper pad-forming rolls shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of part of a ribbon of pads formed by the apparatus shown in FIGURES l to 4;

FIGURE 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the second form of apparatus; and

FIGURE 8 is a section through a pad formed by .the apparatus shown in FIGURE 7.

Referring firstly to the apparatus shown in FIGURES l to 4, a continuous cylindrical wound strip 1 of steel wool is formed by diagonally feeding a web 2 of steel wool direct from a wool-making machine not shown on to a hollow rotating mandrel 3. The mandrel 3 is mounted in a pedestal 4 containing a bearing and drive means for the mandrel. In its passage from the wool making machine the web of steel wool passes through a soap or synthetic detergent impregnation unit 5. This unit which is similar to the unit shown in longitudinal section in FIGURE 7 comprises a small roller 6 under which the web passes and a larger roller 7 over which the web passes and against which the web is tightly held. The roller 7 dips into a bath of soap or detergent solution which is transferred by the roller on to the web, the rate of impregnation being controlled by a conventional doctor blade 8.

A further web 10 to form the core of the continuous cylinder to be formed on the mandrel 3 is fed down the hollow centre of the mandrel. The web 10 passes through an impregnation unit 11 similar to the unit 5, through a drying unit 12 and is turned through two right angles by angled rolls 14 and 15 before entering the mandrel. The web 19 may, for example, be of steel wool or of some other material such as paper or fabric to impart greater strength to the resulting pads. The unit 11 may be used to impregnate the web 10 with a material which has, for example bonding or rust-resisting or pH adjusting or detergent properties or a combination of such properties.

The spirally wound cylinder of steel wool and the core formed by the web 10 are drawn from the mandrel between a pair of rolls 20 whose profiles can be accurately seen from FIGURE 3. Each roll 20 has flanges 21 at the edges and a flat-bottomed groove 22 between them. The lower of the two rolls 20 has a thin disc 23 on each side of it, the discs being of greater diameter than the flanges 21 and serving to guide the cylinder of steel Wool to prevent lateral displacement.

The passage of the continuous strip between the rolls 20 causes the central portion to be somewhat flattened while the edges are fairly heavily compressed and the cored steel wool leaves the rolls 20 as a somewhat fiattened continuous band of constant cross-section. The continuous hand then passes between a second pair of rolls 25 whose circumferential surfaces are formed with ten circumferentially spaced generally rectangular pockets 26. The pockets 26 leave a continuous flange 27 on either side of the pockets and ten ribs 28 extending axially from flange to flange between the pockets. The passage of the continuous pad between the rolls 25 causes the longitudinal edges 30 to beeven more firmly compressed and causes spaced intermediate portions 31 extending transversely across the pad to be compressed to substantially the same extent, thus leaving longitudinally spaced areas 32 in which the steel wool is lightly compressed, each area being surrounded by a highly compressed margin.

0 station not shown.

Between each pocket in each roll 25 there is an insert 40 of tungsten steel set in a groove in the roll and extending right across the circumferential face of the roll. All the inserts of the upper roll of the pair of rolls 25 has a serrated cutting edge 41, nine out of ten having the shallow apex of that shown in FIGURE 4 while one insert 40a, has a more pronounced knife edge. All the inserts in the lower roll, with the exception of the insert 40b co-operating with the knife 40a, have flat faces flush with the ribs 28. The insert 4012 has a V-Shaped recess to receive the knife edge of the insert 40a. The effect of the inserts when the pad is passed between the rolls 25 is to form partial severings across the pad in nine out of every ten of the transverse highly compressed regions 31 between adjacent lightly compressed regions 32. The inserts 40a and 40b co-operate to effect complete severing of the strip across the centre of every tenth transverse highly compressed region. The continuous pad is thus divided up into ribbons of ten contiguous individual pads, the individual pads, of each ribbon being partially severed from one another.

The ribbons, each of ten pads pass from the rolls 25 on to a belt conveyor and pass through a drying or cooling tunnel 81, from which they pass to a packing The ribbons may be packed concertina fashion in the cartons.

The pairs of rolls 20 and 25 are mounted on parallel shafts 5G and 51, 52 and 53 respectively. The shafts are carried in bearings 54 in a pair of massive parallel support plates 55 and 56 which are secured along their lower edges by angle irons 57 and 58 to channels 59 and 60 forming part of the steel work on which the whole apparatus is mounted. The support plates 55 and 56 are connected together at their upper corners by tubes 61 and 62. The bearings 54 of the upper roll 20 and the upper roll 25 are mounted in vertical slots 66 and 67 in the support plates 55 and 56 and the pressures between the upper and lower rolls of each pair can be adjusted by manipulation of a pair of screws 63 which are threaded into brackets 64 and 65 on the supporting plates 55 and 56 and whose ends bear against the bearing 54.

The shaft 50 carrying one of the rolls 20 is driven from an electric motor, not shown, by a chain which passes round a chain wheel 70 which is fast on the shaft 50. The shaft 50 also carries a spur gear 71 which meshes with an identical spur gear on the shaft 51 of the other roller 20 and not visible in FIGURES 2 or 3 so that the rolls 20 rotate in synchronism. The shaft 51 carries a chain wheel which is coupled by a chain to a chain wheel 72 on the shaft 53 of the upper of the rolls 25. The shaft 53 also carries a spur gear 73 which meshes with an identical spur gear on the shaft 52 of the lower of the rolls 25. Thus all four rolls 20 and 25 are driven by the motor at the same speed.

Two specific examples of the use of the apparatus shown in FIGURES 1 to 4 to produce pads of the form shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 will now be described.

Example I The web 2 of steel wool was taken directly from the wool-making machine through the impregnation unit 5. The bath of the impregnation unit 5 contained a soap of 66.5% moisture content and manufactured from palm oil fatty acids and palm kernel/coconut oil fatty acids using an alkali mixture of potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide in a ratio of eight to one, both in terms of equivalent Na O. The web 10 consisted of ordinary cotton bandage and was passed through the impregnation unit 11 the bath of which contained a sodium silicate solution of 45% solids and with a ratio of Na O to SiO of 1:3.26. The web 10 was partially dried in the drying unit 12 before entering the mandrel 3.

Example 2 The procedure of Example 1 was followed except that before entering the impregnation unit 5 the steel wool web 2 was sprayed with a solution having 1% sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate and 1% sodium silicate.

1n the apparatus shown in FIGURE 7 the web is formed from two continuous strips 160 and 101 of steel wool and a strip 102 of textile or paper, the strips being fed from reels 103, 104 and 105 respectively. The three strips are fed into the nip 106 of a pair of rolls 107 which are of the same construction as the rolls 20 described with reference to FIGURES 1 to 4. These rolls efiect a partial compression of the central portion of the combined web 108 while the outer edges are heavily compressed to hold the three individual strips together. The composite web so formed then passes between a pair of rolls 109 which are of the same construction as the rolls 25 described in relation to FIGURES 1 to 4 and which further compress the edges 120 of the web and form spaced transverse highly compressed regions 121 leaving spaced lightly compressed regions 122 each surrounded by a heavily compressed margin. The rolls 109' also divide the web into separate ribbons each of ten contiguous individual pads partially severed from one another. The ribbons pass on to a conveyor 110 which carries them through a drying or cooling tunnel 111 to a packing station which is not shown.

Between the reel 105 and the nip 106, the web 102 of textile or paper, passes through an adhesive applying station 112 which is of similar construction to the hupregnation units 5 and 11 shown in FIGURE 1 and includes a roller 113 under which the strip passes and a roller 114 over which the tape passes in close contact. The lower surface of the roll 114 dips into a bath 115 of adhesive the rate of application of which is determined by an adjustable doctor blade 118.

Each of the strips 100 and 101 of steel wool is subjected to a spray of soap or synthetic detergent from spray nozzles 116 and 117 respectively after it leaves the reel and before it passes between the rolls 107.

Clearly the apparatus shown in FIGURE 7 may be employed with other numbers of strips than three, all the strips or only some of the strips being of steel wool.

Four specific examples of the use of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 7 will now be described.

Example 3 The outer strips 100 and 101 of steel wool were sprayed by the nozzles 116 and 117 with a high potassium soap solution of the composition described in relation to Example 1. The centre strip consisted of ordinary cotton bandage and was impregnated at the station 112 with a solution containing equal parts of sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate and sodium silicate and having a 13.5% solids content.

Example 4 In this example the central strip 102 of textile or paper is replaced by two further strips of steel wool. The further strips were impregnated with a solution containing 1% of a conventional heavy duty detergent powder containing approximately 30% sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate and 30% sodium tripolyphosphate used hot. The strips 100 and 102 forming the outer surfaces of the composite web 108 were impregnated with a high potas- 6 sium soap solution of composition described in relation to Example 1.

Example 5 The central strip 102 was thick absorbent paper and was impregnated at the station 112 with a sodium silicate solution of 13.5% solids and with a ratio of Na O to SiO of 1:326. The outer strips of and 101 of steel wool were sprayed with a high potassium soap solution of the composition described in relation to Example 1.

Example 6 The central strip 102 was a thin coated paper which was treated at the station 112 with a sodium silicate solution of 45% solids and with a ratio of Na O to SiO of 1:326. The outer strips 100 and 101 of steel wool were sprayed with a high potassium soap solution of the composition described in relation to Example 1.

The pads of all the Examples 1 to 6 were satisfactory in use.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A continuous method of making scouring pads including the steps of spirally winding at least two steel wool ribbons, at least one of which is impregnated with a detergent material to form a flat tubular structure, sealing the lateral edges of said flat tubular structure thereby locking the spiral to prevent unwinding, transversely sealing said flat tubular structure to form pads lightly compressed internally and heavily compressed at the marginal areas and at least partially severing said pads along the transversed sealed area.

2. A continuous method of making scouring pads including the steps of spirally winding at least two steel wool ribbons, at least one of which is impregnated with a detergent material to form a flat tubular structure, sealing the lateral edges of said flat tubular structure thereby locking the spiral to prevent unwinding, transversely sealing said flat tubular structure to form pads lightly compressed internally and heavily compressed at the marginal areas and severing said pads along the transversed sealed area.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 909,957 1/ 1909 Staude 83-343 X 1,606,884 11/1926 Mann 294.52 X 1,718,145 6/1929 Hartman 83-343 X 2,264,443 12/ 1941 Klein 83-343 2,447,241 8/ 1948 Englund 29-4.52 X 2,552,926 5/1951 Barnes et al 118-40 2,957,450 10/1960 Phillips 118-40 3,017,698 1/1962 Hambrecht 29-419 X 3,067,504 12/ 1962 Lubben et al 29-419 3,084,427 4/ 1963 Holcomb 29-419 3,091,836 6/1963 Thomas 29-33.9

FOREIGN PATENTS 630,666 10/1949 Great Britain.

RICHARD H. EANES, 111., Primary Examiner. D. M. SCHMIDT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CONTINUOUS METHOD OF MAKING SCOURING PADS INCLUDING THE STEPS OF SPIRALLY WINDING AT LEAST TWO STEEL WOOL RIBBONS, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS IMPREGNATED WITH A DETERGENT MATERIAL TO FORM A FLAT TUBULAR STRUCTURE, SEALING THE LATERAL EDGES OF SAID FLAT TUBULAR STRUCTURE THEREBY LOCKING THE SPIRAL TO PREVENT UNWINDING, TRANSVERSELY SEALING SAID FLAT TUBULAR STRUCTURE TO FROM PADS LIGHTLY COMPRESSED INTERNALLY AND HEAVILY COMPRESSED AT THE MARGINAL AREAS AND AT LEAST PARTIALLY SERVING SAID PADS ALONG THE TRANSVERSED SEALED AREA. 